State Picks Up Victory In Missouri River Case

A victory for Missouri in the fight over the flow of the Missouri River. The US Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal by upstream states of an appellate court ruling that flood control, water supply and navigation rank ahead of recreation in management of the Missouri. It’s uncertain how the court’s decision will impact long-term management of the river. More lawsuits are pending before a judge in Minnesota, including a lawsuit by Missouri claiming the new Missouri River management manual adopted by the Army Corps of Engineers violated the Congressional Flood Control Act adopted in the 1940s. The state wants to stop plans by the Corps to restrict the flow of the Missouri, which the state says would all but end barge traffic on the Missouri.